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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church Sainte-Élisabeth de Béthonsart, located in the Pas-de-Calais department, is founded in 1247 by Marie de Fief and her son Enguerrand, with the support of the inhabitants. The bell tower, dated 1562 by an engraved inscription, is an emblematic element of the monument. Fortified and equipped with murderers, it has gargoyles and a stone arrow decorated with animal-shaped hooks. This bell tower has been classified as historical monuments since 9 August 1930, after a first inscription in 1927.

In 1732 Abbé Dominique Toursl of Mont-Saint-Éloi began work on the expansion of the choir. During the excavations, a mason worker, Jean-Guislain Doby, discovered a treasure of 60 gold coins and some silver coins, dating from France, Spain, Castile and Portugal. The division of the treasure, which took place under the authority of Count Charles-Joseph de Lannoy, seigneur of Bethonsart, attributed a third to the worker and the rest to the parish factory. The church also housed a wooden statue of Saint Elizabeth (16th century), stolen in 1976 with a statue of Saint Anthony.

The building, owned by the commune, illustrates the defensive religious architecture of the region, mixing medieval and Renaissance heritage. Its history also reflects the social practices of the Old Regime, such as the management of treasures or seigneurial patronage. Today, only the bell tower enjoys protection as historical monuments, demonstrating its heritage and symbolic importance for Bethonsart.

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